Drone registration in France

What the rules say

Each line is resolved from published facts of France. "Not resolved" means the corpus does not answer it in a machine-checkable way — never that the law is silent.

• Registration requiredConditional
• Weight threshold0.25 kgConditional
• Operator registrationConditional
• Aircraft registrationConditional
• Identifier displayConditional
• Renewal or validity periodConditional
• Digital registrationConditional
• Registration exceptionsConditional
• More than one registration regimeNo

What changes the answer

The published rules distinguish the certified and national categories of operation.

• altitude

  Flight altitude at or above 3 cm

• altitude

  Flight altitude below 120 m

• altitude

  Flight altitude below 50 m

• location

  Distance of 30 cm

The rules behind this answer

• Binding lawNational rule

  Aircraft details required for registration

  When registering an aircraft, the registrant must provide the aircraft type, mass range, manufacturer, model, and serial number if applicable.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 12 octobre 2018, article 7 - section overview

  This article mandates remote pilots operating within aeromodelling associations to carry and present their training or examination certificates and identity documents, allowing electronic formats and register extracts as equivalents.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 19 avril 2019, annexe, point 8 - section overview

  This section defines the registration requirements in France for UAS operators and individual aircraft based on the weight of the drone and the presence of data-recording sensors.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 19 octobre 2018, annexe - section overview

  This annex defines the twelve aircraft types and five mass ranges used for drone registration in France, and prohibits operating an aircraft if its actual take-off mass exceeds the upper limit of its registered mass range.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 19 octobre 2018, article 1 - section overview

  This article defines the scope of the decree regarding the electronic registration of unmanned aircraft in France, and lists the specific aerial devices (free balloons, certain captive balloons, rockets, and kites) that are excluded from these requirements.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 19 octobre 2018, article 5 - section overview

  This article specifies that an extract of the civil unmanned aircraft register can be generated electronically at any time via the official portal, and details the mandatory information fields it must contain.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 19 octobre 2018, article 6 - section overview

  This article details the requirements for updating, correcting, and invalidating drone registrations in France, including mandatory declarations for modifications, errors, transfers, destruction, theft, or loss, and the prohibition of operating the aircraft until updates are complete.

  Open the requirement
• Binding lawNational rule

  Arrêté du 3 décembre 2020, annexe, point 1.5 - section overview

  This section requires operators of aircraft with a mass of 25 kg or less to affix an identification plate to the aircraft containing their contact details and, if applicable, their European Union operator registration number.

  Open the requirement

Official sources

• Arrete du 19 octobre 2018 relatif a l'enregistrement des aeronefs civils circulant sans personne a bord — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile
• Arrete du 12 octobre 2018 relatif a la formation exigee des telepilotes — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile
• Arrete du 19 avril 2019 relatif au contenu de la notice d'information fournie avec les emballages — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile
• Arrete du 3 decembre 2020 relatif a la definition des scenarios standard nationaux — Direction de la securite de l'Aviation civile

Other drone rules in France

• Do I need Remote ID in France?Remote identification in France is framed by a published mass threshold of 25 kg, together with the aircraft and operation conditions cited below. Whether a given flight must carry or broadcast an electronic identity depends on those conditions.
• What is the maximum drone altitude in France?Drone flights in France are held to a published general height limit of 120 m above_nearest_obstacle. The limit is not absolute: the published conditions that change it are cited below.
• Can I fly a drone near an airport in France?Drone flights near aerodromes in France are governed by airspace and aerodrome restrictions: whether permission is needed depends on the airspace, distance or aerodrome type published below.
• Can I fly a drone over people in France?Flight over uninvolved people is treated as a higher-risk operation in France: it is available only where the published conditions below — class, mass, separation or authorisation — are satisfied.
• Can I fly a drone at night in France?No. A published rule in France prohibits night operations for the operations covered here.
• Is BVLOS drone flight allowed in France?No. A published rule in France excludes BVLOS for the operations covered here.
• When does a drone operation need authorisation in France?Whether an operation in France needs prior authorisation depends on the operational category, risk class or location: the published triggers below decide it.
• What training do I need to fly a drone in France?Remote pilot competency in France scales with the operation: which training, examination or proof of competency applies is set by the published conditions below.
• Do I need drone insurance in France?Drone insurance in France is published with a minimum third-party cover of 0.75 million SDR. Whether cover is required for a given flight depends on the published conditions below.

All drone laws in France